Nabor House's Five Founders

Five men, all of whom enrolled in the College of Agriculture at the same time and who had considerable commonality of purpose, morals, spiritual commitment, and socio-economic background, formed the founding group of Nabor House Fraternity. They collectively developed the Nabor House idea nad believed that it offered much potential for the future. Certainly, non of them could have foreseen the exact form which the idea would take, nor the results it would yield. Further, it is just as certain that none even thought or dreamed that the product as it stands today could be achieved.

Here, then, is a brief view of each of these men, where they came from, where they have been, and some of the things they have done. At this point in time (1989), none of them could identify or recall many of the things they did for the Fraternity, not only because of the long intervening time, but more importantly because their's was a cooperative, team effort. It is clear that each was a dedicated and intensely involved Nabor, committed to the Fraternity's purposes, ideals, and success. Further, each has left an imprint, beneficial and indelible, on Nabor House Fraternity.

Garrett W. Loy

Garrett W. Loy, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Wood Loy, was born Jan. 18, 1916, on his parents' farm about four miles south of Effingham, Ill. He spent his boyhood there and learned to love agriculture and agricultural activities. As a youth, he was a 4-H member and active in the Methodist Church. He graduated from Effingham High School, where he maintained the highest GPA of any male during the four years he was in school. He also had the highest GPA in the senior class. His outstanding scholastic record earned him a scholarship to Illinois, and he enrolled in the fall of 1936. He received a B.S. in general agriculture in Jan. 1941, qualifying as a vocation agriculture teacher.

Burdette B. Lutz

Burdette Benjamin "Bur" Lutz, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Lutz, grew up on a farm near Sciota in Western Illinois. As a youth on the farm, he was involved in both 4-H and FFA. He was a member of the United Brethren Church. Bur enrolled at the University of Illinois in the fall of 1936, selecting general agriculture as his major. He had a County Farmers Institute Scholarship that he earned by competitive examination. While a student at Illinois, he worshipped at University Place Chistian (Disciples of Christ) Church, serving as president and recreation leader of the Illinois Disciples Student Foundation. At the U of I, he was a member of the General Agriculture, Agricultural Education, Rural Life, and Hoof and Horn Clubs. He earned his freshman numerals and sweater as a member of the freshman wrestling squad.

Walter D. Parks

Walter Donald "Walt" Parks, son of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Parks, was born Nov. 20, 1918, in Moweaqua, Ill. He grew up on a grain and livestock farm and was active in 4-H and FFA, obtaining the State Farmer Degree in the latter. Walt received his elementary education in a one-room school. He graduated from Moweaqua High School, where he was in the band four years, in FFA four years, senior class president, and lead actor in Junior and Senior high school plays. The Outstanding Senior at Moweaqua High School, he received the senior cup for the student contributing most to the school.

Samuel F. Ridlen

Samuel Franklin "Sam" Ridlen, the son of Will and Josephine Ridlen, was born April 24, 1916, on his parents' farm south of Marion, Ill. Sam attended a one-room elementary school and Marion High School. In high school, he was in the Honor Society, a member of Teenarians (Junior Rotary), and on the Student Council, yearbook Editor, Annual Mock Trial Judge, and chairman of his homeroom. A four-year FFA member, he was president of his chapter as a sophomore and was on the FFA judging teams all four years in high school. In the State Poultry Contest, he placed fifth out of 395 participants.

Bonard S. Wilson

An idea man and a thinker, Bonard contributed to Nabor House in many ways while he was an undergraduate, including helping to develop the organizational structure and procedures for operating the fraternity and house. When he returned to the campus after the war, he worked enthusiastically to help re-establish Nabor House on a sound footing. He took an active role in getting the Chapter chartered as a not-for-profit corporation. Bonard also assumed the lead in getting expert help in setting up the Fraternity's accounting system. As Fraternity Treasurer, he was a major force in implementing the system and making it work. It was so effective and practical that it remains in use today with only minor adjustments to accommodate the Fraternity's current broader financial activities.

Two Additional Charter Members

Seven men had active membership status when Nabor House Fraternity was granted its charter by the State of Illinois on April 29, 1939. They were the five founders plus J. Robert Harris, '42, and Herbert M Kobler, '47. The latter two had been granted active membership shortly after the second semester of 1938-39. The Chapter minutes do not state the date, but it appears to have been Feb. 20, 1939. So, the five founders and these two men made up the charter membership of Nabor House Fraternity. Information on the five founding members is listed above, and information on the two additional charter members is below.

J. Robert Harris

Bob was strongly loyal to Nabor House from the time he became a member until his death in 1983. With his eyesight not meeting the military's requirements, Bob remained on campus during WWII as a graduate student. He almost single-handedly kept Nabor House alive during the war period. Had he not been on the campus and willing to look after the Fraternity's interests, Nabor House almost certainly would not exist today. During the war, Bob worked with the bank to keep the house loan viable, arranged for rental of the property, raised money -- mostly loans from Nabors in the military--served as a contact point for Nabors all over the world, and wrote and published the newsletter.

Herbert M. Kobler

Herbert Martin "Herb" Kobler was born Sept. 13, 1919, near Marion, Ill. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Kobler, he grew up on a farm near Marion and attended Marion High School. He was active in both FFA and 4-H. Through the help of his county extension adviser, Herb received a Sears Roebuck Scholarship, enabling him to enroll at the University of Illinois in the fall of 1938. He majored in general agriculture, financing his schooling with his scholarship, part-time work, and pay received from the National Guard of which he was a member. His studies were interrupted by military service.